Kansas City Chiefs wrap up 2024 rookie minicamp; team shares thoughts on three day event
May 7—The Kansas City Chiefs have had a busy past three days, as Monday officially concluded their rookie minicamp, with 74 players leaving it all out on the field in an effort to show that they belong on the back-to-back Super Bowl champions' roster.
Of the 74 athletes who attended, seven were draft picks and 17 were undrafted free agent signees. There also were eight rookie camp-eligible players, four veteran tryout players and 38 rookie participants.
After the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chiefs felt confident in their draft class, capitalizing on a first round wide receiver, three offensive lineman, two defensive backs and a tight end. While feeling positive, the Chiefs can't fully assess their selections until they're seen in a game-like setting.
We're still a ways out from live contact, but rookie minicamp gave a small glimpse of the potential these rookies possess.
"Good to have the rookies in here, I thought they did a nice job," head coach Andy Reid said. "Good work, good introduction to these guys, some of these guys, been traveling all over America, so it was good to get them back in the swing of things."
As mentioned, the camp prohibits "live contact" but allows for 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, with additional work in positional drills. One position that has been exceeding expectations early is the offensive lineman group.
BYU product Kingsley Suamataia, Penn State alum Hunter Nourzad and Holy Cross's C.J. Hanson were the three selected to try and mend that left tackle position.
"I liked what I saw from what I saw," Reid said. "It's got to be one of the better offensive line groups, young offensive line groups that we've had in here."
The focus on the offensive line really began after the Super Bowl 55 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The past few years saw Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey and more join the team.
This meant taking an offensive lineman early in the second round, and the skill sets are there, it's just fixing the small things.
"I think the number one thing was my pass pro, so that's why I've just been working ever since this off season started" Suamataia said. "Just getting better on that little stuff like placement and my footwork and then yeah, just letting it roll from there."
Despite the excitement of adding three lineman, the true fun comes with first round selection Xavier Worthy, who will join free agent signing Hollywood Brown in the wide receiver room.
Worthy was a dangerous receiver and punt returner for the Texas Longhorns last season. He caught 75 passes for over 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. While impressive, a concern was his slim body frame, but worthy isn't worried.
"Understanding your strengths and weaknesses, I feel like that's the big thing in the league," Worthy said. "Don't obviously try to hit a 215 pound linebacker, so just understand your weight, understanding your strengths."
Next up on the schedule for Kansas City will be the first round of "Organized Team Activities," or OTAs," which kick off the week of May 20.
Calvin Silvers can be reached at calvin.silvers@newspressnow.com.
